The aims of this project are three-fold: (1) to introduce a novel intervention for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementia patients that will increase the quality of life for both the patients and their families; the intervention will be in the form of a therapeutic game; (2) to increase the motivation of family, friends, and volunteers to visit with AD patients through the use of an intervention that is appealing through both its sense of fun and ability to facilitate communication between poorly communicative AD patients and significant others; (3) to provide a new paradigm for innovative budget neutral interventions, requiring no new public monies, building upon and leveraging existing resources to enhance the quality of life of older adults dealing with significant impairments. In the research plan, the effect of the intervention on the subjects will be evaluated by using a randomized group design. Subjects will be randomly assigned to either a control condition or the condition using the game for AD. Assessments will be made utilizing the Observed Emotion Rating Scale and a family member assessment instrument. The scientific literature describes no other game specifically designed for therapeutic use with AD patients and their families. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: An effective engaging therapeutic game specifically designed for AD patients and their families will be developed based on the results of this study. With 4 million American families struggling with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, and with Special Care Units on Alzheimer's Disease representing one of the most rapidly growing phenomena in nursing homes, there is a high demand for effective and appearing new interventions for Alzheimer patients-especially those with the potential to be cost-effective. Demand should be very high because there are no other such games on the market.